1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to processing equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for treating a work piece with a uniform flow distribution.
2. Description of Related Art
There exists furnaces, as an example of processing equipment, that are used to treat various work pieces. Typically, a work piece is placed in a furnace and the temperature of the work piece is raised or lowered to a predetermined temperature. The treatment can be used for a wide variety of processes that include, for example, low temperature food processing to high temperature metallurgical processing. The temperature of the work piece is maintained at the predetermined temperature for a selected period of time until the work piece is sufficiently treated.
When the temperature of the work piece is raised or lowered to the predetermined temperature, gas in many cases is typically distributed and re-circulated throughout the furnace. The gas typically includes any type of gas including, for example, air, inert gas or a chemically reactive gas. Because of the requirements of the treating cycle and the characteristics of the material, it is important that the work piece not be heated higher than or cooled lower than a target temperature because various types of deterioration that can occur and it is important that all work pieces reach target temperature. When the gas is distributed and re-circulated throughout the furnace, the temperature of the gas is thus preferably uniform. As such, all areas of the furnace are set at the same temperature so that the work pieces are uniformly heated to a temperature that is neither higher than nor lower than the target temperature.